My mom had dressed, as usual, like a woman two decades younger than she was, a woman who was planning to have Christmas Eve dinner at a sleazy strip joint—you know, before hitting the stage to do her thing. Granted, Cindy Webber looked pretty damn good and a wee bit younger than her forty-nine years, but she also definitely looked—and behaved—overlyavailablein a room full of men who were largely non-single.
I had to hand it to her, though; she did have incredible radar when it came to single men and quickly horned in on the only men in the room who weren’t here with dates—namely Zane, Piper, and Ash. And immediately got her flirt on. I could hear her loud, ingratiating laugh across the room. And I definitely saw her hands all over Zane, seeking out places the sun didn’t shine. Even he looked slightlyuncomfortable.
Wasn’t sure I’deverseen Zane Traynoruncomfortable.
Ash, on the other hand, seemed to think my mom was a riot, and before long, they were doing shotstogether.
It really didn’t help my outlook for thisevent.
When Brody told us it was time to put our asses in our seats, we all found our little handmade place cards with our names on them andsat.
It was the first time I’d actually been close to Piper. He’d been out on the patio dealing with the turkey most of the time and drinking beers with Brody, and as soon as he’d walked into the party room, my mom had cornered him by the Christmas tree and peppered him with questions about his Kings cut, which he was wearing over a black sweater. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d seen Piper without his cut; it was kind of like a secondskin.
Jude definitely hadn’t worn his to Christmas Evedinner.
“Everyone just dig in while it’s warm,” Brody instructed, “and pass shit around. We’ll do a toast and stufflater.”
Fine by me. The fuller my mouth was with food, the less I’d have to make small talk with Piper, and the sooner I could get the meal over with and maybe go snuggle up with Jude under themistletoe.
“Merry Christmas,” I said, as we both satdown.
“Merry Christmas…” Piper said, kinda narrowing hiseyes.
“Roni,” I supplied. Sweet baby Jesus, did he actually forget myname?
“Roni.” He smiled a little, and I had no idea what he was thinking. Hopefully it didn’t involve a kitchen counter. “I was gonna say Veronica, right? Ben’sgirl.”
Right. So that’s what he wasthinking.
“Yes, Veronica,” I said. “And no, not Ben’sgirl.”
I glanced at Jude. I was on Piper’s left, and Jude was seated across from him and two over to the right. Between my mom, on his right, and Brody, who was at the head of the table. Definitely not so far away he couldn’t hear us if he wanted to, even though my mom seemed to be talking his ear offalready.
He was looking right atme.
“You were seein’ him for a while, few years back,” Piper said. He passed me the cranberry sauce, and I daubed a bit of it onto myplate.
“I was. Many years back. How ishe?”
“Good. He’s moved back fromKelowna.”
“I didn’t even know he was livingthere.”
Damn. Couldn’t he make conversation with Maggie? I glanced past him, but Maggie was chatting with Dylan, on her otherside.
I could feel the weight of Jude’s gaze. I glanced at him and smiled, and mouthed,Yams, pointing at the bowl of yams, then at myself. I’d made them and they were awesome, whipped with butter and nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. I’d gotten the simple recipe from Jessa, and I was thrilled it had turned outperfectly.
Jude’s mouth quirked in a tiny smile and he reached for the bowl ofyams.
“So,” Piper said as I filled my plate. “You seein’ my little brothernow?”
“Defineseeing.”
Andlittle? I wasn’t sure Jude Grayson could be referred to aslittlein anycontext.
Piper cracked a smile and his gorgeous dimples popped. So like his brother’s. Other than their physiques—though Piper was bigger—their damn gorgeous smiles were the most similar things aboutthem.
“Seein’ as in seein’ him next to you when you wake up in the morning feelin’satisfied.”
